The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign in Osun State has rejected the result of the August 15 governorship election, insisting that Governor Ademola Adeleke did not secure the highest number of valid votes cast in the poll.
The Director-General of the APC governorship campaign, Oluwole Oke, stated this during an interview with Arise News on Monday while explaining why the party had yet to congratulate Adeleke on his re-election.
APC Disagrees With INEC Declaration
Oke said the APC disagreed with the declaration made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and had commenced a review of election materials before deciding its next course of action.
“We do not agree with the declaration of INEC. That’s our position for now. We believe he did not score the highest valid votes,” Oke said.
He said the APC campaign organisation would not be pressured into accepting the outcome of the election until it completed a thorough assessment of the process.
“We won’t be under any sort of pressure to easily reach out to congratulate Senator Ademola Adeleke,” he added.
The development comes after a closely contested Osun election that attracted widespread attention from political parties, observers and voters across the state.
APC Begins Audit of Election Materials
According to Oke, the APC campaign organisation has already begun an audit of the election and directed its agents across the state to submit relevant election documents for scrutiny.
“We have embarked on an audit process. We have asked all our party agents to submit copies of Forms EC8A, B, and C to our secretariat for review. We need to inspect the materials,” he said.
The review, according to the APC campaign chief, will cover both the conduct of the election and issues arising before the poll, including compliance with the Electoral Act and other applicable laws.
The party’s decision to scrutinise the election materials comes amid broader concerns about electoral transparency and the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process. The Bureau Journal recently examined some of the key issues voters should understand about the country’s evolving electoral system in its guide to the 2027 general elections and electoral reforms.
APC Yet to Congratulate Adeleke
Oke also explained that the party’s refusal to immediately congratulate Adeleke was connected to its decision to independently assess the election results.
He said the APC would form its position after completing its review rather than responding to political pressure to accept the result.
INEC had declared Adeleke, the Accord Party candidate, winner of the election after he polled 511,067 votes to defeat the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who secured 444,815 votes.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.
Adeleke Won 19 LGAs, APC Took 11
The official result showed Adeleke winning in 19 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured victory in 11 councils.
The outcome gave the incumbent governor a margin of 66,252 votes over his closest challenger.
President Bola Tinubu subsequently congratulated Adeleke on his victory, but Oke said the position of the APC campaign team remained unchanged as it continued to examine the events surrounding the election.
The dispute highlights the importance of transparent electoral procedures and credible mechanisms for resolving disagreements over election results. Political parties are expected to use the legal channels provided by Nigeria’s electoral framework where they believe an election has not been conducted or declared in accordance with the law.
Party May Consider Legal Action
The APC campaign chief indicated that the party could explore legal options if its findings revealed sufficient grounds for further action.
According to Oke, the electoral process does not necessarily end with the announcement of results, as parties have the right to challenge disputed outcomes through the election tribunal and subsequent appellate courts where applicable.
“Until we do that and form our opinion, we won’t be able to go further to say anything on this,” he said.
APC Calls for Patience
The APC campaign organisation has urged its supporters and members of the public to allow the party to complete its assessment before announcing its next course of action.
The development is expected to keep the political atmosphere around the Osun election active as the parties examine the results and consider their respective options.
The outcome also comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s wider political preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections, with political parties already intensifying their organisational activities across the country. The Bureau Journal is tracking developments in the APC’s preparations for the 2027 elections and other party activities.
For now, the result declared by INEC remains the official outcome of the Osun governorship election, while any challenge to the result would have to be determined through the appropriate legal and electoral processes.
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